Friday, 1 March 2019

Amazon cancels Dash buttons

The Amazon Dash button has gone the way of the CueCat and other oddball forms of consumer tech that were quickly made obsolete by newer technology. The $5 wireless Dash button was promised to be an easy way to order consumables from Amazon, but configuring the devices was sometimes confusing. The people who really enjoyed Dash buttons were those who hacked them into Internet-connected remote control devices to accomplish useful tasks other than buying stuff.

From Cnet:

The Dash button isn't nearly as necessary as it used to be. Today, plenty more appliances connect to the internet. Amazon also integrated its Dash Replenishment Service into hundreds of products from major manufacturers like Whirlpool and Samsung worldwide. DRS lets appliances automatically reorder the stuff they need, like a printer purchasing new ink. No need to even push a button.

Plus, Amazon created virtual Dash buttons on its website and developed voice shopping through its Alexa voice assistant, which have both grown in popularity, Amazon says.